Rose of Anzio - Moonlight (Volume 1)

by Alexa Kang

  Anna gave them a warm welcome. “Leon is around somewhere. The colonel and the lieutenant have arrived too.”

  They entered the main parlor. The furniture had been cleared to accommodate the long buffet tables. On one side, a string quartet in white tuxedo jackets and black pants performed on a stage temporarily set up for the night. A standing microphone stood before them, hinting there would be a vocal performance later on. Maybe Celeste Le Vonne really was coming.

  The room started to fill up. Leon Caldwell could be seen making the rounds soliciting the guests to purchase war bonds. A group of girls Tessa knew from St. Mary’s gathered around the punch bowl, talking to each other while looking over at the young lieutenant here for the war bond drive and the handful of young men who had come.

  “Let’s go say hi to Senator Reinhardt,” William said.

  Having no desire to follow them around and not seeing anyone she wanted to talk to, Tessa asked, “Uncle William, may I go help Aunt Anna with the fur collection instead?”

  “Of course,” William said while Anthony watched her walk away.

  “Hi, Katherine,” Tessa said.

  Katherine, who was helping with the fur drive, looked miserable for missing out on the party going on in the parlor.

  “Want some relief?” Tessa asked. “I can take it from here.”

  “Yes!” Katherine held her hands up in prayer. “You don’t mind?”

  Tessa shook her head.

  “Thank you!” Katherine squeezed Tessa’s arm and took off.

  Tessa busied herself with the fur collection, hoping to pass the night without having to do much else. When most of the guests had arrived, the ladies who were helping them left to join the Ball. Anna suggested that Tessa return to the party to enjoy herself, but Tessa declined. “You’re the hostess, Aunt Anna. You should go inside and talk with the guests. I’ll manage.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “Okay, dear. But you don’t have to stay here long. When all the guests are here, you come in too and join us.”

  “I will,” she reassured her.

  After Anna left, Tessa sat down behind the table. She wouldn’t mind spending the whole evening here instead.

  She looked around her. Furs of different kinds, from big coats to small scarves, now filled the boxes next to the table. A sample vest for the Merchant Marines for which the furs would be used was on display on a coat rack. A banner which said, “United We Stand,” hung on the wall behind the table.

  “Hi, Tessa.” Alexander came up to her. In a mini-tuxedo, he looked like a smart little gentleman.

  “You’re looking handsome,” she said.

  “I brought you a fruit punch.” He handed her a glass.

  “Thank you.” She took a big sip. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was. “Are you having fun?”

  “No.” He put his hands on his waist. “This is boring. It’s all old people and they’re all just talking. I’m going back to my room. I’ll see you later.”

  Tessa laughed. “Happy New Year,” she called out to him. He waved without looking back. Tessa held up the glass in her hand. What a caring gesture on his part to think of bringing her a drink. Come to think of it, even Katherine warmed up to her somewhat, now that she didn’t attend St. Mary’s anymore and would not impact Katherine’s social standing. There was no denying it anymore. The Ardleys and the Caldwells were now her family. They all treated her like family, and she was one of them.

  Except Anthony. What was she to him? And what was he to her?

  When everyone on the guest list had arrived, there was nothing more for her to do and she returned to the parlor. Feeling no desire to join in on any conversation, she went to one of the large windows facing the front of the house. The courtyard looked quiet and peaceful with the shining night lights. A light flurry of snow danced in the air.

  Where was Anthony? she wondered. She turned around to look at the room. The group of girls at the long table by the punch bowl had surrounded him.

  As if he felt her watching him, he looked up. Their eyes met.

  Seeing the girls around him amused her. Surely, he would be plenty occupied already tonight. She smiled, then turned back to look outside. Although cold, the air seemed crisp. She loved the stillness of winter nights like this one. She put her hand on the window and felt the icy surface of the windowpanes. Perhaps she could go out and take a walk around the courtyard.

  Over by the punch bowl, Anthony caught sight of Tessa by herself at the window. She had finally come in, and to his surprise, she was watching him. He wished she didn’t see him talking to all these girls. He didn’t invite this. They started talking to him, and he was talking to them only to be polite. Their parents and his parents were friends and business associates. He was ready to extract himself, but Tessa smiled as though she saw something funny and turned away. What kind of reaction was that, he thought, feeling miffed. A different string of thoughts then went through his mind. Was she not upset to see all these girls around him? Did she feel no disappointment at all? Couldn’t she have looked a little jealous?

  Nonetheless, he didn’t want her to misunderstand. “Excuse me,” he said to everyone and walked over to her.

  Still looking out the window and thinking about going outside, Tessa felt a tug at her elbow.

  “Want to get out of here?” Anthony spoke softly to her ear.

  She turned her eyes away from the window and looked up at him. “And go where? Home?”

  He shook his head. “I know of a better place.”

  She gave him a suspicious smile. What could he have in mind? “All right.”

  “Go get our coats. I’ll tell Mother and Father we’re leaving.”

  She nodded. He watched her leave for the front entrance and scanned the room for his parents. They were seated at a table with Senator Reinhardt and several other guests at the table. He came up behind his parents. “Tessa and I are leaving.”

  “Leaving?” William turned around in his seat. “Where are you going…” Sophia put her hand on his arm and stopped him. “You kids go and have fun,” she said to Anthony. “Just be sure you look after her and make sure she’s okay.”

  “I will, Mother.” Anthony said goodbye and took his leave.

  “What was that all about?” William asked Sophia as Anthony walked away.

  “You have no idea, do you?”

  “No idea of what?”

  “Your son. He’s infatuated with Tessa.”

  “What?” William asked. “How long has this been going on?”

  “Since this summer.”

  “This summer?”

  “Yes. This summer.”

  “But I thought he was seeing Mary Winters this summer.”

  Sophia shook her head and sighed.

  After overcoming his initial shock, he asked, “And Tessa? What does she think?”

  “That, I don’t know,” Sophia said. “I’m not even sure she knows how Anthony feels. With her, it’s always hard to tell. But it looks like he has at least convinced her to go somewhere with him tonight.”

  William looked over at the parlor entrance. There, Tessa was already waiting with her hat and coat on. She handed Anthony his coat, hat, and scarf. He put them on and they both exited the parlor.

  On stage, the actress Celeste Le Vonne had arrived. Her grand entrance was causing a commotion among the guests. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” the Master of Ceremonies announced. “May I present to you, the ever lovely Miss Celeste Le Vonne.”

  Thunderous applause filled the room, but William was still looking at the door. Sophia clapped her hands with the rest of the guests, but she, too, was watching the parlor entrance where Anthony and Tessa had just left.

  “I see.” William watched his son and Tessa leave, as if the idea of Anthony and Tessa had finally sunk in. He turned to his wife. “Well, we’ve wanted Dean and Juliet to come to America. I think Dean might finally brave those U-boats and come now, to kill
me.”

  Sophia laughed. The band started to play. The enchanting voice of Celeste Le Vonne singing soon filled the room and captured everyone’s attention.

  Chapter 48

  Anthony and Tessa left the Caldwells’ and stepped out into the crisp, wintry night. Behind them back in the house, Celeste Le Vonne had started to sing.

  “She’s really here!” Tessa said. “We’re missing her live performance.”

  “Oh well,” Anthony said. He hardly cared. He had finally got Tessa alone with him. “Come on.” He led her across the Caldwells’ courtyard out onto the surrounding streets. The entire neighborhood was quiet and empty. They were the only two outside. Every time the wind blew, specks of snow would drift past them.

  Without a car, they caught the bus just in time when it arrived at a bus stop down the road. The festive atmosphere inside the vehicle dramatically differed from the quietness outside. The passengers were all laughing and in a party mood. Many of them had dressed up for a night out on the town.

  Tessa didn’t know where she was going, and Anthony wouldn’t say, but she was glad they had left the Fur Ball. She had felt so out of place there.

  The bus approached the Michigan Avenue Bridge and she gazed out the side window. A light layer of snow had covered the ground. The street lamps along the sides of the bridge illuminated the night and their lights reflected off the frozen river.

  “What a beautiful view.” She turned to Anthony. “So romantic.”

  She covered her mouth with her hand as soon as she said those words. She didn’t mean to say these words to him. She was only commenting on the scenery. “I didn’t mean…What I meant was…I…” she tried to explain. She felt so embarrassed sprouting out fanciful notions like a silly girl.

  “Do you want to get off and take a look?” he asked. “We can walk across the bridge.”

  She couldn’t believe him. It was a crazy suggestion. The temperature had already dropped to below freezing. Walking across the bridge over the water would chill them to the bone. Even more amazing was that Anthony would propose such a wild idea. He didn’t usually act on impulse, and he wasn’t one to do something wild and outrageous.

  “Let’s go.” He got up when the bus came to a stop. She had no choice but to follow him. At the same time, she loved it that he was acting on impulse for her.

  Unlike the Caldwell’s neighborhood, downtown Chicago was buzzing. She didn’t expect the streets to be this lively. The city had cancelled its fireworks celebrations because of the lighting restriction at night across the country since Pearl Harbor. She thought that would have kept people home. Instead, people were still out, searching for fun. Rowdy people and groups of servicemen passing through town roamed the streets.

  Walking in front of her, Anthony led their way to the bridge where an icy wind blasted. “Oh no,” she said.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I left my scarf on the bus.”

  He took his own scarf off and wrapped it around her neck.

  “What about you?” she asked. “You’ll freeze.”

  “I’ll be fine.” He stopped and gazed out at the river. “What do you think?”

  “Cold,” she said. Her teeth chattered and she pulled the scarf tighter around her. Each time she breathed, she could smell his scent. Oddly, she liked it. She held the scarf against her face and inhaled.

  “Let’s keep moving then,” he said.

  When they got to the other side of the bridge, he hailed a taxicab to take them to the Allerton Hotel. He pointed to the top of the hotel building where a sign lit with the words “Tip Top Tap.”

  “Is that where we’re going?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  Coming into the busy hotel lobby, he told her to wait while he took their coats and outerwear to the hotel concierge. Despite the line of people waiting to be helped, the concierge chose to assist him first. She didn’t know why, as they weren’t guests here. The concierge took their coats and other articles, then made a phone call and nodded to him. He seemed to know his way around here well.

  When he came back, they took the elevator to the top of the hotel. The Tip Top Tap, she found out, was a posh, stylish rooftop lounge. He took her hand and led her in past the crowds and clusters of people.

  “May I see your tickets, sir?” the host at the lounge entrance asked.

  “We don’t have any,” Anthony said.

  “I’m sorry but you need tickets…”

  Before the host could finish, the lounge manager came to greet them. “Mr. Ardley! Happy New Year! So wonderful to see you joining us tonight. Please come in. I have your seats ready.”

  The host looked at them, bewildered. Tessa felt as confused as he looked. She was sure Anthony hadn’t planned this. She didn’t know how he got everyone here to cater to him, but she had no chance to ask questions as he led her inside.

  The lounge itself covered only a small area, but it was packed. The rolling music from the jazz band brought out a much more rambunctious mood than the classical quartet that played at the Fur Ball. Tessa was delighted just looking at the people swinging on the dance floor. She had never been out to a lounge or a club on New Year’s Eve before.

  The manager took them to a table with two seats by the floor-to-ceiling windows which showed a panoramic view of downtown Chicago from up high. Without taking her seat, she went over to the nearest window.

  “How do you like this view?” Anthony asked behind her.

  She looked at yellow streetlights glowing from the snow-covered streets below. “It’s gorgeous.”

  A waiter came by and gave them their cocktails.

  “How were you able to get us in here? The lounge manager knows you.”

  He took a sip of his drink. “Our family owns a stake in this hotel.”

  That solved the mystery, she thought. They leaned by the window and watched the crowd.

  “Do you like it here more than at the Fur Ball?” he asked.

  “I would feel bad if I said that,” she said. “Uncle Leon put in so much work planning the Fur Ball, and he’s very proud of it. The fur drive and the war bond drive were great causes to support.” She lowered her eyes and wiped the condensation off her glass. “I just never know what to do with myself at parties like that. I guess I’m like my father that way. He always loathed parties and receptions for the theater patrons too, although he never had a choice but to go and pretend to enjoy himself.”

  They stood silently side-by-side as the crowd danced and laughed. The hour of midnight was approaching and many had put on the 1943 paper party hats the hotel had left on the tables. Some started blowing whistles. The band stopped. The lead singer began the countdown. Everyone followed, cheering with each count. “Ten! Nine! Eight…”

  The exuberant atmosphere could burst through the roof. Tessa whispered along to the count, unaware of Anthony watching her while she was watching everyone else.

  “Seven! Six! Five! Four…”

  The noises of kazoos, clappers, and party horns nearly drowned out the singer’s voice. Thrilled, Tessa picked up a clapper from their table and joined in on the fun.

  “Three! Two! One!” She waved the clapper in her hand and laughed, but the next thing she knew, Anthony had pulled her into his arms and kissed her on her lips.

  When he let her go, she felt as if her heart nearly stopped.

  It all happened so fast. What was that? she thought. A New Year’s tradition? Unsure and bewildered, she looked at him. The band had begun playing again and the crowd was singing to the music of “Auld Lang Syne.” Confetti and streamers fell down from the ceiling. Everything was so loud and confusing, she could not understand what just happened, or if it even happened at all. She almost thought she imagined it, but that couldn’t be. He still had her in his arms.

  He erased her doubts when he kissed her again, this time more tenderly and longer.

  She felt herself weakening in his arms. Her heart was beating so fast. She wasn’t sure if it wa
s because she was caught up in the excitement of the party or something else. But his warm lips on her own stirred a yearning within her. Whatever this might be, she didn’t care whether she understood it anymore. She only knew she liked the feeling and she wanted to kiss him back.

  “I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” he whispered to her.

  She took a deep breath and raised her hand to touch his face. Softly, he brushed his cheek against her hand, then put his own hand on hers and turned to plant a kiss in her palm. Her heart melted. She finally knew now. This was what people meant when they said their heart melted.

  How did she not see this? How did she not know her own feelings for him all this time?

  The noises in the room had calmed. The band was now playing a slow song. The familiar melodies of “I’m Confessin’ that I Love You” beckoned.

  He looked her in the eyes. “Tessa, I don’t know how to swing dance, and I wouldn’t be very good at it if I tried. But if you care, I’d like to do a different kind of dance with you.”

  A stirring sensation rose in her heart. She nodded. He took her hand and led her out to the dance floor into a slow dance.

  On the dance floor, he held her waist. She gasped when he pulled her body against him. Lightly, she raised her free hand to his arm and looked at his chest. There it was again, the force of his strength and his presence. She could give herself completely over to it.

  Slowly, they moved to the music. She raised her eyes. He gazed at her and leaned down to kiss her again. She felt light-headed and slightly short of breath. Again and again they kissed, timidly at first, then closer and more and more intimately. The stirring sensation continued to rise within her, and at last, she understood what it was. Desire. The feeling of wanting to be physically closer to him. With that feeling, she kissed him back, more passionately each time as the night went on.